'I’ve never felt this kind of stress and pressure': Mark Stoops makes very strong statement on NIL, transfer portal

Mark Stoops is never one to shy away from sharing his opinion and the Kentucky football coach certainly did as it pertains to NIL and the transfer portal.

Last week at SEC Media Day, Stoops made it known just how 'stressful' he feels with the current landscape of college football.

And, he didn't mince words.

“I have 100 free agents every six months,” Stoops told Darrell Bird of Cats Pause. “You don’t think there’s pressure of raising money to keep them and to pay them what they deserve and to help them? And I’ve done this for two, three years completely alone. I get no help. None.

“I feel very isolated, very alone. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how long I can take dealing with what I’ve dealt with. Myself, personally, I can only do so much. I’ve never felt this kind of stress and pressure.”

Wow.

That's certainly a statement. And one that you likely wouldn't want to hear if you were a member of the Kentucky program.

And if life wasn't already hard enough for the Kentucky head coach, it was announced this week that roster sizes would be increasing. College football will now carry 105 scholarships, up from 85, starting during the 2025-26 season.

Stoops was, however, adament that the players deserve what they are now receiving via NIL. He made that clear.

He also doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him.

“Listen, I don’t need it to be, ‘Woe is me,’ or ‘We feel sorry for you'. But my job has changed with Name, Image & Likeness and the transfer portal," Stoops added. "These issues, they consume me.”

Well, Mark. Nobody will. It was already rumored that Stoops, who is entering his 12th season with the Wildcats, could be closer to retirement than people thought -- and this may just put him over the edge.